The impact of DRE-enabled solutions goes beyond their affordability and reliability. Besides providing energy access to the most energy-starved pockets, DRE enabled solutions have led to a significant improvement in all aspects of life, especially for the marginalized.
Ecoideaz in collaboration with CLEAN Network brings you stories of DRE enterprises that are touching lives and instilling hope among people for a brighter future. Greenlight Planet is one such CLEAN member, who with its Solar Lanterns is helping people access reliable and affordable energy.
Light brings hope for Dharitri
For Dharitri Sutar, a resident of Hirapur village in Odisha, light was synonymous with sunlight. An unreliable supply of electricity meant that villagers had to suffer blackouts on most evenings. Like the other villagers, the family’s present was challenging and the future looked bleak. Dharitri was particularly concerned for her young daughter, whose education had taken a hit due to lack of proper electricity supply.
However, six years ago, Greenlight Planet introduced its Sun King solar products in Odisha, which were already popular in other states of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam. Dharitri was thus introduced to Sun King Pico solar lantern and ever since her life has seen a positive change.
“My daughter has been using this portable lamp to do her daily homework and study during exams as we face a lot of power cuts in the village. Sometimes, children from the neighborhood also join her to study under this lamp. But what I love about this product is that it remains unaffected even after 6 years.” says a satisfied Dharitri.
Greenlight Planet has been working to meet the evolving needs of the off-grid market in India. Its wide range of Sun King solar lamps and home energy systems deliver high performance and long-lasting shelf life. Dharitri’s family is a testimony to this. As of April 2020, Greenlight Planet has distributed clean energy to more than 10 million households around the world, generating 14 million megawatts of power. This has led to dramatic improvements in study time for children, increases in household income, additional safety for families and improved air quality.
The Greenlight Planet team believes in field visits to rural areas that brings them closer to the energy-deprived population. That is how on one such field visit they were able to solve many of Dharitri Sutar’s problems with one solar lantern. Her daughter now studies in the evenings as well. The solar lamp apart from being affordable is five times brighter than conventional kerosene lamps. It comes with a long-lasting battery that yields up to 72 hours of light from a single sunny day of solar charging.
The solar lantern has enabled Dharitri to travel safely after sunset. At night, she now cooks in proper lighting, avoiding any accidents. “It’s highly encouraging to see our products being accepted by these villages and contributing to improve quality of life for rural communities. We are constantly looking for ways to make renewable energy access more accessible and affordable for the last-mile rural customer. Until now, we have built a network of 15000 retailers and more than 40 partners across India who have helped us serve 24 million individuals with access to clean and reliable energy. With a concerted effort from each village, their residents and representatives, it becomes easier for us to reach our goal of providing energy access to all villages in India”, says Priyabrata Das, Greenlight Planet’s Retail Business Leader for Asia.